Crossroads (1)

Sigma Camellia.

Shin Eun-chae was currently the most promising rookie in the pro league.

She had talent from the start.

She began playing the game at a friend’s urging, and within just three months, she was on the verge of reaching the highest tier.

Around the six-month mark, she received an offer to be a trainee at Sigma.

The looks from her seniors were something to behold.

She received a lot of jealousy for her unstoppable growth.

At some point, they wouldn’t even practice with her anymore.

In the end, trainees were cut in droves, and she was assigned a dedicated coach.

So there was a time when she had misconceptions.

That this world wasn’t so difficult for her,

She thought she would naturally climb to the ‘top’ that others dreamed of.

Believing the outcome was predetermined, she thought it was just a matter of sooner or later.

Looking back, it seems she took it too lightly.

– I can stake my coaching career on this, you’re going to be great.

– As long as you don’t stray onto a strange path, you can definitely succeed.

– As much as our team’s Luche. As much as Q Prime’s Traveler. Maybe even more than that.

When that strict coach acknowledged her.

Camellia felt as if she had the whole world.

She never once doubted his unwavering attitude.

Camellia believed in herself as much as her coach believed in her.

It wasn’t baseless confidence. Her talent was real.

Well, she even proved it with results.

An unstoppable force.

Camellia literally swept through the second division league.

She couldn’t win every game, but she showed good performance in every game.

But was she too intoxicated with success?

Curious to see how far she could go, she participated in the Arena.

There, Camellia tasted the bitter cup of elimination in the second preliminary round.

It was an opponent she hadn’t even considered.

She had heard that some strange person was going around killing pro gamers, but she hardly ever went into the field anyway.

She only remembered the nickname Gawol after the game ended.

But she suffered a crushing defeat.

She lost so miserably that she was too ashamed to say anything.

– But here Gawol suddenly accelerates. You dare to test me?

– To summarize this, it would be ‘I’m good at fighting. I’m confident. Only attack!’

– What did they say about Gawol’s build earlier? Yes. She really was good at fighting.

The unexpected failure pinned her spirit to the ground.

Her fallen body was crushed, and it felt like being doused with cold water in the midst of pain.

As one streamer said, the opponent was just better.

The public seemed to evaluate it as “she fought well enough,” but Camellia thought differently.

That person… was on a different level. There was a gap in capability that seemed impossible to bridge.

It felt distant.

‘How much more do I need to improve to be able to beat that person?’

Would such a day ever come?

Even thinking calmly, she couldn’t gauge it at all.

It felt as if God had drawn a line saying, ‘This is as far as you go.’

It was so frustrating.

Camellia buried her face in her pillow and cried.

After crying until her pillow was damp, she watched all of Gawol’s matches.

Could there be anything more ridiculous than this?

Before she knew it, she was cheering for Gawol.

When Gawol lost consecutively to Cerberus, Camellia clenched her fists so hard that her palms bled.

She admired the overwhelming swordsmanship.

She felt some complex emotion at the sight of Gawol tearing at her own neck.

When Gawol finally claimed victory – she was even happy as if she had achieved it herself.

So—

She came to be unable to forgive Gawol.

‘I just can’t understand.’

Why doesn’t she enter the pro scene with such skills?

It’s not like she lacks the will. She fought as if she was dying to win!

Even while trembling from phantom pain – Gawol had the happiest expression in the world.

She thought they would meet in the next league.

It would be fine to be allies, or enemies.

Either way, she could fight Gawol again.

But it was different.

Gawol was living leisurely as if she had forgotten about the Arena.

Only she was burning with competitive spirit, and Gawol had run away with the victory.

[IKL Match 2]

[Battlefield: Duel Corridor (Winner Stays)]

[Sigma eSports vs Q Prime]

An ironic battlefield. An ironic opponent.

She met an assassin in the place where she suffered her first defeat against Gawol.

It had become the class she hated the most at some point.

‘I will… I will definitely win!’

She had no intention of losing to an assassin.

Because someday she would tear that Gawol to pieces with her own hands.

She had to go and ask that cowardly runaway for a reason.

They say Sparrow is the best assassin domestically, but he’s far below that Gawol.

If she loses here, she won’t qualify to challenge Gawol.

So, just wait a little bit.

If you won’t come, I’ll go to you.

* * *

– Camellia completely crushes Sparrow! Perfected anti-assassin strategy

– Sigma eSports, 2:1 comeback victory against Q Prime

– Camellia “There’s an opponent I want to meet.”

Yesterday’s match ended with Luche’s victory after all.

I feel sorry for Traveler who must be shouting in anger, but I’m still Luche’s fan.

If asked which one I’d be happier to see win, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment.

That joy became my strength.

After the promised weekend rehabilitation training ended, I exhausted all my stamina again.

“Ugh, I’m dying…”

I was planning to go straight home today.

But I strangely craved something to eat.

My recent lifestyle has improved in a good direction.

Since I had to match time with party members while exploring the new continent, even if forcibly.

Maybe because I was sleeping regularly, my appetite increased in various ways.

Alright. Let’s go to the convenience store.

If I eat something like bread and milk, it’ll fill my stomach.

“Welcome.”

The part-timer greeted halfheartedly while looking at their phone.

This is why I like hospital convenience stores.

All kinds of patients come and go normally, so a girl on crutches isn’t much of a concern.

I didn’t need to be conscious of others’ gazes.

I chose a packaged bagel and milk from the shelf.

Instead of the usual paper carton, I picked milk in a bottle.

My hand naturally went for it because it looked like the recovery potion I drink in the game.

‘I shouldn’t fall for this kind of marketing…’

Well, what can I do?

This is like a gamer’s instinct.

Whether I like it or not, if there’s a product collaborating with my game, I reach for it at least once.

This concept of eating food from the game was particularly fatal.

I wouldn’t have dared to choose it before, but now I’ve allowed myself a daily living expense of about 10,000 won.

I had the power to indulge in my desires to my heart’s content.

I stood proudly at the counter and completed the payment.

The milk I drank like that was…

‘Just milk.’

It’s not particularly delicious, nor particularly bad.

Should I consider it as fulfilling a wish I wanted to try once?

Anyway, in the game I had to choose tasteless potions or whatever.

I can’t drink the original milk-flavored recovery potion in the game.

With my sense assimilation rate, the implemented flavors feel too exaggerated.

Everything I eat tastes too strong, having the opposite effect.

It was natural since the taste was implemented to match the maximum assimilation rate of 30% for general users.

Still, the glass bottle resembling a potion bottle was still appealing.

It felt like the game had eaten into reality a little bit.

I put the glass bottle in my bag as a souvenir and left the convenience store.

The bus stop is at the back gate of the hospital.

As I walked straight out of the convenience store, I saw an unfamiliar animal.

“…?”

– Woof, woof woof!

A golden retriever as big as my body.

In terms of size, it would be correct to call it a dog, but since it looks cute, can’t we just call it a puppy?

Seeing its golden fur, some indescribable desire boiled up.

I want to touch that fluffy being.

It will surely feel soft and fluffy, making me feel good.

Although it’s a strong large dog… it’s smiling happily even at me, a stranger.

It must be safe.

They say all golden retrievers are kind.

“Coochie coo. Come… here.”

As I approached and reached out my hand, the puppy came closer in big strides.

The sight of it licking my fingers while panting.

As the rough sensation touched me, the corners of my mouth unconsciously lifted into a smile.

It’s strange.

Was I this fond of animals?

My heart was pounding so much that I wanted to keep it in my arms all day.

“Heh. If I had a snack, I would have given it to you.”

Taking one more step forward with such greed.

I let it lean against my lower belly and gently stroked its head.

The warm body temperature and silky sensation were addictive.

How long did I stroke its neck and head like that?

The dog, feeling good, wagged its tail vigorously, and then pounced on me as if to cover me.

Of course, my weak body couldn’t withstand the weight of a large dog.

“Uh, uhik? Ack…!”

My vision flipped as I fell.

Fortunately, I managed to protect my left leg by lifting it slightly, but instead, my hips and back hit the ground too hard.

My whole body ached with pain, but the problem was the dog.

Now that I was pinned down, it was too large for me.

It was impossible to handle as it started playing deliberately.

“Hey, hey… You’re heavy. Left foot, don’t touch the left foot. Don’t lick my neck either. Eek!”

“Jesse? What are you d… Jesse! No!”

Fortunately.

There must have been an owner nearby, as the large dog’s body was pulled off me.

Instead, the person looking down at me was a familiar face.

“Da-eun-ssi?”

I take back the word fortunate.

Seeing Luche looking down at me – I rubbed my face with my palms.

It felt like the world was tormenting me again.

How embarrassing…